--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The resistance within law enforcement to…" description: "\"“The resistance within law enforcement to the drug war created something of a dilemma for the Reagan administration. In order for the war to actually w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/michelle-alexander-750_law-enforcement_the-resistance-within-law-enforcement-to_1861029.png" --- # The resistance within law enforcement to the drug war… ![“The resistance within law enforcement to the drug war created something of a dilemma for the Reagan administration. In order for the war to actually work—that is, in order for it to succeed in achieving its political goals—it was necessary to build a consensus among state and local law enforcement…” quote by Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/michelle-alexander-750_law-enforcement_the-resistance-within-law-enforcement-to_1861029.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/michelle-alexander-750_law-enforcement_the-resistance-within-law-enforcement-to_1861029.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/michelle-alexander-750_law-enforcement_the-resistance-within-law-enforcement-to_1861029.png) > ““The resistance within law enforcement to the drug war created something of a dilemma for the Reagan administration. In order for the war to actually work—that is, in order for it to succeed in achieving its political goals—it was necessary to build a consensus among state and local law enforcement agencies that the drug war should be a top priority in their hometowns. The solution: cash. Huge cash grants were made to those law enforcement agencies that were willing to make drug-law enforcement a top priority.”” [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The drug war relied on financial incentives to force local police to prioritize drug enforcement, creating a coercive consensus. **In simple terms:** Cash grants forced police to focus on drugs. Key Takeaway Recognize how money shapes policy priorities. Themes law enforcement policy economics social justice Mood critical analytical Type political policy When to use this quote - community policing - budget allocations - drug policy debates - political strategy Key Concepts public policy incentive structures Questions to Reflect On - How do money motives affect policing? - What alternatives exist to incentivize fair enforcement? A Different Perspective Financial incentives can undermine genuine community safety goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agencies Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agencies-drug-2506256/) [Drug War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug-war-239298/) [Enforcement Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enforcement-drug-2506257/) [Enforcement Priority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enforcement-priority-2506255/) [Law enforcement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-enforcement/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [“As if the free military equipment, training, and cash grants were not enough, the Reagan administration provided law enforcement with yet another financial incentive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/as-if-the-free-military-equipment-training-and-cash-grants-were-not/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Cultural copaganda is all around us--from the CIA , starting in the 1950s funding projects like the Iowa Writers' Workshop or fronting literary magazines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-karakatsanis/cultural-copaganda-is-all-around-us-from-the-cia-starting-in-the/) [Alec Karakatsanis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-karakatsanis/) > [The drug war has been waged almost exclusively in ghetto communities, resulting in what I believe is a racial under cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-drug-war-has-been-waged-almost-exclusively-in-ghetto-communities/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Defenders of the system will counter by saying this drug war has been aimed at violent crime. But that is not the case. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/defenders-of-the-system-will-counter-by-saying-this-drug-war-has-been/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“The critical point is that thousands of people are swept into the criminal justice system every year pursuant to the drug war without much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-critical-point-is-that-thousands-of-people-are-swept-into-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“From the outset, the drug war could have been waged primarily in overwhelmingly white suburbs or on college campuses. SWAT teams could have rappelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/from-the-outset-the-drug-war-could-have-been-waged-primarily-in/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [By waging the drug war and "getting tough" almost exclusively in the 'hood, we've managed to create a vast new racial undercaste in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/by-waging-the-drug-war-and-getting-tough-almost-exclusively-in-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If the drug war was waged in those communities it would spark such outrage that the war would end overnight. This literal war is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-the-drug-war-was-waged-in-those-communities-it-would-spark-such/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The bigger picture is that over the last 30 years, we have spent $1 trillion waging a drug war that has failed in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-bigger-picture-is-that-over-the-last-30-years-we-have-spent-1/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Most Americans violate drug laws in their lifetime, but the enemy in this war has been racially defined. Not by accident, the drug war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/most-americans-violate-drug-laws-in-their-lifetime-but-the-enemy-in/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Before we begin our tour of the drug war, it is worthwhile to get a couple of myths out of the way. The first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/before-we-begin-our-tour-of-the-drug-war-it-is-worthwhile-to-get-a/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The fact that people of all colors have been ensnared by the drug war helps to preserve the system as a whole from serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-fact-that-people-of-all-colors-have-been-ensnared-by-the-drug-war/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [In the 1990s - the period of the greatest escalation of the drug war - nearly 80 percent of the increase in drug arrests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/in-the-1990s-the-period-of-the-greatest-escalation-of-the-drug-war/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [We have now spent 1 trillion dollars waging the drug war since it began. A trillion. Those funds could have been used for education,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/we-have-now-spent-1-trillion-dollars-waging-the-drug-war-since-it/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Many people don't realize that financial incentives have been built into the drug war that guarantee that law enforcement will continue to arrest extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/many-people-don-t-realize-that-financial-incentives-have-been-built/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## More by Michelle Alexander > [If you ask for good schools, you aren't likely to get them. If you ask for jobs or economic investment, you won't get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-you-ask-for-good-schools-you-aren-t-likely-to-get-them-if-you-ask/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The uncomfortable reality we must face is that California, like the nation as a whole, has treated generations of African Americans and Latinos as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-uncomfortable-reality-we-must-face-is-that-california-like-the/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Seeing race is not the problem. Refusing to care for the people we see is the problem. The fact that the meaning of race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/seeing-race-is-not-the-problem-refusing-to-care-for-the-people-we-see/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Since the nations founding, African Americans repeatedly have been controlled through institutions such as slavery and Jim Crow, which appear to die but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/since-the-nations-founding-african-americans-repeatedly-have-been/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Felon disenfranchisement laws have been more effective in eliminating black voters in the age of mass incarceration than they were under Jim Crow…These figures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/felon-disenfranchisement-laws-have-been-more-effective-in-eliminating/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“That was King’s dream—a society that is capable of seeing each of us, as we are, with love. That is a goal worth fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/that-was-king-s-dream-a-society-that-is-capable-of-seeing-each-of-us/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [Activists take the risks, while advocates are professional tinkerers with the system. What's necessary is for those who are advocates to support those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/activists-take-the-risks-while-advocates-are-professional-tinkerers/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“Civil rights protests were frequently depicted as criminal rather than political in nature, and federal courts were accused of excessive “lenience” toward lawlessness, thereby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/civil-rights-protests-were-frequently-depicted-as-criminal-rather/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [We cannot 'fix' the police without a revolution of values and radical change to the basic structure of our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/we-cannot-fix-the-police-without-a-revolution-of-values-and-radical/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If we continue to tell ourselves the popular myths about racial progress or, worse yet, if we say to ourselves that the problem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-we-continue-to-tell-ourselves-the-popular-myths-about-racial/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The mass incarceration of poor people of color, particularly black men, has emerged as a new caste system, one specifically designed to address the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-incarceration-of-poor-people-of-color-particularly-black-men/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [ “\[T\]he slave went free; stood a brief moment in the sun; then moved back again toward slavery. —W.E.B Du Bois, Black Reconstruction in America… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/t-he-slave-went-free-stood-a-brief-moment-in-the-sun-then-moved-back/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [If you take into account prisoners, a large majority of African American men in some urban areas, like Chicago, have been labeled felons for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/if-you-take-into-account-prisoners-a-large-majority-of-african/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [“A new civil rights movement cannot be organized around the relics of the earlier system of control if it is to address meaningfully the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/a-new-civil-rights-movement-cannot-be-organized-around-the-relics-of/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [The rules and reasons the political system employs to enforce status relations of any kind, including racial hierarchy, evolve and change as they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-rules-and-reasons-the-political-system-employs-to-enforce-status/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Explore all 381 Michelle Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) ## More Law enforcement quotes > [“Our Chasers Aren’t Cheating! That was the stunned reaction of Quidditch fans across Britain last night when the so-called “Stooging Penalty” was announced by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/our-chasers-aren-t-cheating-that-was-the-stunned-reaction-of/) [J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [Few people may realize that the Department of Homeland Security is the nation's largest law enforcement organization, with about one-third of our 240,000 employees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-wolf/few-people-may-realize-that-the-department-of-homeland-security-is/) [Chad Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-wolf/) > [I think the FBI is the premier law enforcement agency in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy/i-think-the-fbi-is-the-premier-law-enforcement-agency-in-all-of-human/) [John Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy/) > [You can drive yourself crazy trying to peer into a person's soul--or you can do the sensible thing: ask not what inner motives drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-begala/you-can-drive-yourself-crazy-trying-to-peer-into-a-person-s-soul-or/) [Paul Begala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-begala/) > [Justice should be blind especially color-blind and able to fairly deal with the very real need for honest law enforcement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/justice-should-be-blind-especially-color-blind-and-able-to-fairly/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [New Jersey was threatened like no other region in this country and what we did was we took action within the constitution to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/new-jersey-was-threatened-like-no-other-region-in-this-country-and/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [I felt that politics was one place where I could possibly have a career in arguing, debating, and getting to write papers. I almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jovan-adepo/i-felt-that-politics-was-one-place-where-i-could-possibly-have-a/) [Jovan Adepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jovan-adepo/) > [“We fall into the fallacy of believing we can litigate the complicated story before us into a black-and-white binary of good guys and bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-lowery/we-fall-into-the-fallacy-of-believing-we-can-litigate-the-complicated/) [Wesley Lowery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-lowery/) > [Remember no matter what color your skin is if you wear a law enforcement badge, you are automatically racists according to the deranged lawless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-taylor-greene/remember-no-matter-what-color-your-skin-is-if-you-wear-a-law/) [Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-taylor-greene/) > [Local jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement jeopardize the safety of American communities and put our officers at greater risk of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hagerty/local-jurisdictions-that-refuse-to-cooperate-with-federal-law/) [Bill Hagerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hagerty/) > [We must support our law enforcement officers, and we must start prioritizing the prevention of violent crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-parson/we-must-support-our-law-enforcement-officers-and-we-must-start/) [Mike Parson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-parson/) > [Senator Cruz has also strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Brussels, and yesterday put out this statement saying, quote, "that we need to empower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hannity/senator-cruz-has-also-strongly-condemned-the-terrorist-attacks-in/) [Sean Hannity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hannity/) > [But since September 11, we have made every effort to try to work closely with state and local law enforcement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mueller/but-since-september-11-we-have-made-every-effort-to-try-to-work/) [Robert Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mueller/) > [The backbone of our nation's domestic defense against terrorist attacks will continue to be the men and women in local law enforcement and emergency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saxby-chambliss/the-backbone-of-our-nation-s-domestic-defense-against-terrorist/) [Saxby Chambliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saxby-chambliss/) [Browse all 885 Law enforcement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-enforcement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The resistance within law enforcement to the drug war created something of a dilemma for the Reagan administration. In order for the war to actually work—that is, in order for it to succeed in achieving its political goals—it was necessary to build a consensus among state and local law enforcement agencies that the drug war should be a top priority in their hometowns. The solution: cash. Huge cash grants were made to those law enforcement agencies that were willing to make drug-law enforcement a top priority.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michelle Alexander" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-resistance-within-law-enforcement-to-the-drug-war-created/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Law enforcement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-resistance-within-law-enforcement-to-the-drug-war-created/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/michelle-alexander-750_law-enforcement_the-resistance-within-law-enforcement-to_1861029.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/michelle-alexander-750_law-enforcement_the-resistance-within-law-enforcement-to_1861029.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbc/michelle-alexander-750_law-enforcement_the-resistance-within-law-enforcement-to_1861029.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The resistance within law enforcement to the drug war created something of a dilemma for the Reagan…” — Michelle Alexander", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Michelle Alexander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The resistance within law enforcement to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-resistance-within-law-enforcement-to-the-drug-war-created/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-resistance-within-law-enforcement-to-the-drug-war-created/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```